#like 1-4 and then even pizza sim makes some sort of sense to me but like a secret underground place

[bi-panic-at-the-disco]

ohhh wouldn’t it make the most sense for FNAF 3 and Pizza Sim to be the same kind of thing? Err like sister location has happened probably and like Henry uses Fazbear Frights to idk lure them all and that way it doesn’t have to burn them down twice ig?

[xseedgames]

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns Localization Blog #6

Howdy, everybody! This is John with our final localization blog for Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns. The game comes out next Tuesday (2/28). Don’t miss out on your chance to preorder the game from select retailers to get the adorable capybara pocket plushie bonus, which I have had a lot of fun posing for our little “Capy and Bunny Adventures” comics over the past month. (Okay, sometimes it was a little embarrassing getting those photos.)

We just released a new trailer showing off the four Super Mario Bros. costumes that you can unlock in the game. We’ll also be streaming the game on our Twitch channel from 2:30 PM PST today. Stop by and ask us some questions.

Before I bury the lede any further, I’d like to update you all on the DLC for Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns. For more information on the patches released for free over the course of six months after launch in Japan, as well as our dilemma about whether or not to localize this content, see my previous blog.

We were really overwhelmed by the feedback we received from it. The patience and support of those who responded was encouraging to say the least, and we were grateful to hear all of your opinions, however you felt about the situation. One issue that came up on our forums that I’d like to address quickly is about the bug fixes that were included in the post-launch patches in Japan. Those fixes are all already included in the core game that we are releasing on February 28.

Now then, on to the big news: I’m happy to report that we have decided to localize and release the DLC in North America. I don’t have information on a release timeline or costs for you yet, but we’re eager to dive into translating and editing the text for this massive update. Stay tuned for updates in the months after the initial release.

Thanks again for all your feedback. It made our decision much easier. While the DLC is a ways off, until then we hope you enjoy Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns. Even without the post-launch DLC, it is still the biggest game in the storied history of the farm/life-sim series.

As this is our final planned pre-release localization blog, I wanted to give some of the other members of the XSEED staff who worked on Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns a chance to give their comments on the game. As I mentioned in our very first blog, this game had a massive amount of text that we spent months and months focusing on.

Here are our questionnaire respondents:

Danielle: QA tester and editor

Nathan: QA tester

John: Project lead

1. Who were your favorite character(s) to work on and why? Have any lines in particular made an impression on you?

John: It’s hard to choose, but I will say that I love the dynamics between all the Lulukoko characters. Some of my favorite text in the game are the conversations that will take place between 3-4 characters during certain festivals. The normal groups (Zahau-Caolila, Lotus-Mithra, Iluka-Siluka-Ludus) are great, but funny conversations happen when you mix those characters together. There’s a really great exchange between Lotus and Tototara.

 2. What were your favorite changes and/or additions made to the game?

Danielle: Streamlined farming. Unlike in the previous game, harvested animal by-products and crops go straight into your inventory.Another feature I really like is the addition of actual dog/cat breeds. The previous game had about 4 different "breeds," and were mostly reskins. SoS: ToT has about 16 unique different breeds of dogs, and I have no idea how cat breeds work, but trust me when I say there's a lot more variety there. And last but not least, there's the new--and adorable--capybara!

 3. Which of the three towns do you like the most, and why?

Danielle: Lulukoko hands down for me. I absolutely love locations with tropical and/or oceanside settings. The music for Lulukoko is one of my favorites in the game as well.

Nathan: Lulukoko. Generally speaking it had my favorite bunch of characters, shop hours that matched my playstyle, and the most expensive stuff on the ground for scavenging.

John: Tsuyukusa has my favorite music and some really beautiful scenery. The homes and shops are jam-packed with interesting decorations and knick-knacks from Japanese culture. All of those cultural references were difficult to localize, but I think they make the town so interesting for players.

Many of the decorations in Tsuyukusa are explained by the characters in dialogue.

4. Favorite bachelor/bachelorette? (Minor spoiler about a secret marriage candidate)

Danielle: Ludus. (Ford is pretty great too, though.)

Nathan: For the bachelors, I like Ludus, as he's a good dude that works hard and helps directly. As for the bachelorettes, it's a toss up between Siluka and Inari, though I may be biased as I spent a good deal of time with Siluka. Meanwhile, Inari is a god, so...

John: It’s a little weird seeing Inari referred to as a “bachelorette,” as we tried to keep the Tsuyukusa guardian’s text as gender-neutral as possible. (Though, ultimately, Inari will call him or herself your “husband” or “wife” in some scenes depending on your character’s gender. This is accurate to the Japanese text.)

Anyway, here in the office, Ludus is sort of everyone’s favorite because he’s so attractive and kind-hearted, but for me Ford is the funniest and sweetest bachelor. His response if you dump him just about broke my heart.

Iluka is a treasure. Komari was my choice when I originally played through the game in Japanese, and she’s definitely more my “type.” But Iluka’s sass just turned out so well in English.

To be fair to Iluka, most characters ask you to come back later if you talk to them while they’re eating.

5. Do you have a favorite non-farming SoS activity?

Danielle: Decorating my farmland (or house) is always fun. I also really enjoy creating all the different outfits.

Nathan: Mining for sure, GIVE ME ALL OF THE MONEY.

John: I love fishing in these games. There are so many different fish in Trio of Towns too; it seems like it could almost be its own game. Also, you no longer have to mash the A Button to reel your line in, which is gentler on my hands and my 3DS.

Fish alongside Lulukoko’s master angler, Zahau.

6. Which aspect of the game do you tend to focus on? The social or the farming?

Danielle: I'd say I probably focus about 60% on the social and 40% on the farming.

Nathan: I tend to do an equal amount of both, as I try to set up my farm to require as little attention as possible (and by that I mean planting trees). I do enjoy taking care of the animals though, especially my prize-winning cow: Horse.

John: I’m usually more interested in the social side. I’m always impressed by players who really micromanage their farms. (Like Nathan, who quickly became a fruit tree tycoon during his QA playthrough.)

 7. Which festival would you most like to participate in IRL?

Danielle: The Beverage Bash. I like cooking (making drinks counts as cooking, right?), and I love tea even more, so getting together with a bunch of people to try and create a new drink concoction sounds like a ton of fun. I just hope people in real life have more common sense than to bring mayonnaise as an ingredient.

Nathan: Westown's Goddess Festival, because, let's be real here for a second, there's a giant pizza. Giant. Pizza.

John: The “stargazing” events in Westown and Lulukoko are nice. In Westown, you go up in a hot air balloon to look at the stars. In Lulukoko, you go out in a boat to admire bioluminescent “sea sparkles” in the ocean. (Tsuyukusa has a similar event based on the Japanese festival Tanabata.) The prospect of going up in a hot air balloon (Westown) without a trained pilot is less appealing the more I think about it, however.

The “Beverage Bash” event.

8. If you were a character in Trio of Towns, what would be your number one most loved and hated item?

Danielle:

Loved: Pumpkin Pie

Hated: Pickles

Nathan:

Loved: Black Coffee Hated: Mushrooms, of any type

John: There are over 1,100 items in this game, so it was hard to decide.

Loved: Curry (all types)

Hated: Olive (Who even likes these?)

You would also lose friendship points with me if you shoved a cat in my face (allergies).

 9. What features or changes would you like to see implemented in future games?

Danielle: The biggest feature I'd like to see the return of is the multi-floored mining system (as seen in some of the Wii-era games), as opposed to just the mining points.

Nathan: I'd love to see something along the lines of expeditions or fishing trips for rare fauna as pets, plants, or fish.

John: I would like the developers to bring back larger wilderness areas and even caves/mines to explore. That was the thing I missed most in Trio of Towns.

And, of course, it would be nice to finally have same-sex dating options.

Don’t swing too far back, now.

That’s all from us. We really hope you enjoy the game. Look for another entry starting with “Howdy, everybody” on this blog in a few months’ time.

[thetravelling1]

T+73: The Date.

Ok, this story is likely to be a bit of a long one, so bear with me please!

Part 1: Context

I flew out to NZ 73 days ago, with a bag holding all my possessions and an incredibly vague plan to find a job and get a visa. I didn’t know anybody here, and one part of my journey would be build a new social circle from scratch. I now have a job and a visa, and so was in the mood to celebrate.

Building a complete social circle once you get a foot in the door is relatively easy; the trick is meeting people at first. There are two approaches I’ve taken so far - Meetups and Online Dating sites. In my experience, Meetups have been much more amiable - you are there to do a specified activity, and even if you don’t click with anybody, you still get to do that thing.

In terms of online dating, I’ve used OKCupid, Tinder and Bumble. OKC is the most “thorough”, having a series of essay based questions to read about each other, and a lot of multiple choice questions that the system uses to rate how well you’re likely to match. The problem is that there aren’t many people in Christchurch on OKCupid.

Tinder has a reputation of being a “hookup” app, but in my experience that hasn’t been the case. You have a few photos and a small amount of text to give a sliver of insight into yourself - and only people who like each other’s profiles can start contacting each other. This results in less time wasted on interactions that are clearly not going to work.

Part 2: Prelude

I swiped right on Kylie’s profile for a combination of shallow and personality based reasons. She enjoys pizza, wine and board games. She likes to go walking. While she doesn’t live in Christchurch, it’s an easily travelled distance (half an hour). She has 2 kids, but the father has custody on the weekends, and she lives near supportive family. We had a nice chat and I suggested meeting up that coming weekend, on Saturday. She was in Christchurch anyway having a “Girls Day” with friends so it was perfect to meet at a pub walking distance from mine.

I won’t misrepresent things and imply that there weren’t warning signs. My housemate queried “what is she, in high school” when Kylie commented about how excited her friends were that we were meeting up - or that her friends were on the crazy side. I charitably put this down to hyperbole and someone being happy about finding someone on Tinder who’s vaguely on their wavelength, but you can take it as foreshadowing. 

On the day of the date, I met up with a friend in the morning at a farmer’s market, and we went for a lovely walk up to the Port Hills over Lyttleton. Then we had lunch, and I accidentally left my NZ sim phone in the cafe. I went home for a nap and shower, put on a fresh pair of jeans and an actual shirt before heading to the pub (5:30)

Part 3: The conventional part of the date.

I got there first, and ordered myself a diet cola, then sat outside in the sun trying to get my non-sim phone to connect to Wi-fi so I could message her - when she turned up, right on time! She grabbed a glass of red and we sat outside, chatting about all sorts of stuff. She’s on good terms with her ex, her kids are handling separated parents well. She had dated another guy after separating from her husband, but I was her first date after splitting up with him.

I wouldn’t say there was romantic chemistry there per se, but we were having an amiable enough conversation and it was a nice evening and a good setting. Kylie refused a second drink as she was driving home (note: it feels like the default behaviour here is to have 1 drink if you’re driving. It’s a little unnerving but when in Rome..)...But it was looking like maybe having dinner together and/or watching a movie could be on the cards.

Part 4: A jarring sense of something unusual.

A bartender came over with a shooter, placing it on the table in front of her. “From an admirer”. This appeared to be as much of a shock to her as it was to me. We looked around and there were no hints of guys trying to muscle in. Still, this is not what you expect. The shooter appeared to be kahlua and baileys, and Kylie enjoyed it. We kept chatting, and more of the story came out.

Her “girls day” involved two of her friends, Charlotte and Pixie. Pixie had recently broken up with her bloke, and was feeling down about it. So down, in fact that she was under strict orders not to drink. Charlotte had a bloke, but doesn’t often get a chance to go out and relax, so she took the opportunity to take Pixie out to a pub. Specifically, the pub Kylie was going to.

They assured Kylie that they were just looking to hang out with some guys, and wouldn’t interfere with the date. The shooter that the bartender provided was from Charlotte, the first sign that this assurance wasn’t necessarily a firm boundary. The good news was that as Pixie wasn’t drinking, Kylie would be able to get a lift back to Pixie’s to crash - and therefore, could drink more.

I can’t remember exactly whether this fact was raised before or after the Tequila was delivered “from an admirer”. But hey, when in Rome, roll with the surprises - right?

Part 5: Genre Shift

Now we could go back to drinking normally, I went back to the bar to refill us both. Spiced Rum and Diet Coke for me, Glass of Red for her. Regardless of anything else that happened on top, this was the baseline. While I was at the bar, Charlotte turned up. We chatted, I thanked her for the shots and pointed out I was relieved it wasn’t an interloper.

Charlotte announced we’d be joining herself, Pixie and two newfound friends for Truth or Dare. Wait, what? Apparently that’s what they’d been up to since arriving. It’d been quiet enough so far that I hadn’t noticed (bear in mind that this is probably 7pm on a Saturday night, and my back had been to them). The delivered shots had been part of the dares.

The thought amused me, but I knew that wouldn’t be on the cards; we were still talking about going for food (having not eaten) so these would probably be the last drinks before making new plans. Kylie was out to meet me, and wasn’t looking to merge with the crowd.

I stepped outside, and Kylie had merged with the crowd.

Part 6: Truth or Dare

I haven’t played this since university, 14 years ago. And I didn’t play it at university, as far as I can remember. At high school...yeah ok, I’m not sure if I’ve played this game since I was a child. It’s surreal how silly the game is, the combination of risque and childlike natures butting up against each other. I’d basically decided that there weren’t going to be any romantic feelings arising, so moving away from a traditional date format wasn’t a big loss.

Charlotte and Pixie had met two other locals, and everybody seemed positive and friendly, so I stayed and resolved to go with the flow. Charlotte had oodles of personality, had a pink dress that matched her hair. Pixie was a little quieter and more reserved (maybe because she was the not drinking), her blue hair also had a matching dress. I forget the names of the two guys, but one was killing time until his Tinder date (he was going to the cinema), and the other was his mate.

It quickly became clear that I was the PG one of the group. Certainly, when compared to the ladies. Early on, I asked one of them what the most illegal thing they’d done was - I was not expecting “I once got strip-searched while holding Methamphetamines (a class A drug)” as a result. It certainly helped me out that Kylie was the one asking me, so everything had a fairly light touch.

Part 7: Interactions with other Patrons

So we’ve got the scene. 6 of us are sat round a picnic table in the courtyard of the pub. 2 guys, 3 ladies and me. Charlotte was evidently a dab hand at this; she knew to alert the bouncers - and find a safe table of other people sympathetic to the cause, to involve with dares. These dares varied from finding someone to do the Macarena to, to licking someone’s face. Yeah, that’s the level we were at by this point.

Some of these safe tables were amused by what we were doing, and before long I was being summoned by one of the tables that Kylie had gone over to chat to. A big, burly Glaswegian “invited” me to perch on his knee, so from that position we were able to confirm that yes - this was a first date, yes - we met on Tinder, and yes - we’d gotten merged with her “crazy” friends in a game of Truth or Dare. As I was explaining, Kylie sat on my knee, and Pixie sat on hers, making a chain of 4 people with the Glaswegian at the bottom. That didn’t last long.

The bartender was also becoming embroiled in the mess too, as Charlotte had noticed that he kind of liked her (not that she was interested, what with having a boyfriend). As such, when I bought a round, I was under strict instructions to announce that one of the drinks was for the girl with pink hair, and therefore it should be a special one. “I don’t think she can be shocked”, I commented. “Challenge accepted, he replied”. When he delivered the cocktail, she gave him a peck on the cheek. Then tasted it, and swapped with a friend (she doesn’t like spicy cocktails).

Part 8: Oversharing

I’m listing all of the shenanigans as if I was a passive observer. I feel like I should state for the sake of journalistic integrity that I certainly played a part, enabling the rest of the behaviour. I was happily referring to the evening as a car crash, but still going to the bar when it was my round (that as I recall came a bit more frequently than I’d expected). I wasn’t counting drinks...Maybe I could have been the voice of reason...Maybe I was enjoying the trainwreck of the evening with a morbid curiosity.

It was also interesting to hear other aspects of the ladies lives come out. Since splitting with her husband, Kylie had dated a hairdresser called Aragorn. Charlotte had previously dated Aragorn, and as the drinks flowed and the questions continued, certain home truths came out. Apparently, Kylie made lists about the things she didn’t like about her exes. I know this, because I was shown Aragorn’s list. Some of it was mundane, some explicit, and one line just said “Intellectually Inferior”. I have to appreciate the brutal honesty there.

Kylie also demonstrated her Tinder Swiping technique. Yes, on our first date I got to witness her going on Tinder and looking for other guys. The surreal-ness of the moment far outweighed any offence taken. However, the biscuit was taken when one of the ladies showed off a website she had found, where guys would post dick-pics in costume (the person, and the dicks). I still wrestle with what the appropriate reaction should have been. At the time, I went with stunned disbelief.

Part 9: Genre Shift, Part 2

The evening wore on, and the two guys decided to leave. They left most of a pint of light beer, and Charlotte decided that Pixie was safe to drink it. Charlotte found a couple of people from the “safe” tables to make up the numbers, but it didn’t really matter as the game was kinda falling apart regardless. We figured that food was probably a good idea, so we ordered a plate of Nachos (with the next round of drinks). Charlotte stays indoors for now.

When we came back, Kylie disappeared again to chat to some other newbies (I’d been helpfully informed that this was just the way she is), leaving me to chat with Pixie. It wasn’t long before a bouncer came over to have a friendly chat. 

“Your friend, over there... she has to leave. She’s too drunk, and bothering other customers”.

Well, shit. 

Part 10: Suddenly I’m sober

I honestly can’t remember being in the situation where I’ve been in the company of someone being ejected from a pub before. I turn to Pixie, who disappears inside (emphasis on the disappears) while I chat to the bouncer. He’s aware of my situation, and sympathetic, but can’t let Kylie stay there. I point out that we’re waiting for Nachos to hopefully sober her up. When they arrive, he offers to box them up - but she has to leave.

We head down to the picnic tables on the outskirts of the pub, and two ladies there offer to help take care of Kylie while I find her two friends, who are suddenly nowhere to be seen. I have to tell Charlotte twice (the second time with a “what the actual fuck”). Kylie falls off the chair, again. We discuss the options.

I can’t phone for a taxi, because my phone is in Lyttleton, and it’s a half hour drive back to Kylie’s.Charlotte can’t stay to help out, because there is a cute Eurasian guy at the bar she’s chatting toPixie can’t leave to take care of Kylie because she’s on her second pint now and the evening looks promising for her. The only option, Charlotte asserts is for me to take her home. I sense a nudge and a wink offered from Charlotte but not accepted by me.

I point out that while my place is walking distance, Kylie can’t walk. Pixie needs a recharge on her Vape anyway, so will ferry Kylie to mine, but not stay.I point out that she’s blackout drunk, and waking up in a stranger’s bed could be concerning to her. This doesn’t seem to be a problem.

Part 11: Exodus

So, Pixie and I both prop Kylie up and walk her to Pixie’s car. Kylie sits in the back. We drive two minutes to mine, and have to wake Kylie up. Pixie and I get her through my gate, in the front door and to my bedroom. Kylie collapses on the bed, already passed out.

My landlady is concerned that I left the gate open. While Pixie plugs in her Vape, I go close it and explain the beginnings of the situation. Pixie leaves. I explain the full story to my landlady. She understands and gets a bucket and towel, just in case. I go back into the bedroom. 

Kylie’s awake, and heard everything. She is valiantly staying almost upright, outraged at the suggestion that she might throw up. We assure her it’s not a slight on her character. She says she should go. At this point, I think better of pointing out that she doesn’t really have anywhere to go, as her friends have abandoned her.

I open a bag of cookies and get a glass of water. One cookie and mouthful of water, Kylie’s back to passed out on my bed. Bowie the dog is agitated, and would be more agitated if someone slept in the living room - and there are doubts of the safety for Kylie to be passed out alone. It’s 9:30, Oh boy, it’s going to be a long night.

Part 12: Sharing a bed

I change from my shirt into a t-shirt, and get my mobile. I’m full of emotion, put on life-tilt by the way the evening totally got away with me. I’m scared for Kylie, I’m scared for myself, I’m angry at Charlotte. I can’t sleep, and so I put Youtube on and watch videos. For over 5 hours, until 3am. Kylie makes occasional movements, and occasional sounds, True to her word, she doesn’t throw up.

At 3am, Kylie wakes up and says her first statement of the new day - that she forgot how uncomfortable it is to sleep wearing a bra. I sympathise and face away as she gets comfier and then goes back to sleep. I finally allow myself to relax, and fall asleep.

At 5am, we both wake again. Kylie is a bit more talkative now; waking up in my bed didn’t phase her at all. She can’t remember how she got to mine, but takes a sip of water. We chat a little, but I’m overtired and overstretched mentally. She is due to meet up with the ladies to raise money at a local market that morning, and starts texting them. At 6:30am, they are apparently on their way. We turn the light on and she sees the bucket. “I never throw up” she comments, offhandedly.

We wait outside, and a few minutes later, Pixie drives up. Charlotte is in the car, but they are literally just picking her up and driving off. I return inside, and see her jewelry. Pixie drives back to pick up the jewelry, and they are gone.

Part 13: The Aftermath

Sleep remains elusive for a while; I don’t really sleep all day, but I don’t get up either. It messes with my mind, and my sleep pattern goes out of whack. I mean, it’s 1:15am 3 days later and I’m still a bit zombified.

I receive a message a few hours later saying Kylie made it to the market, with her friends - and they are re-evaluating their life choices.

The following morning, Kylie sends me a message to say that she appreciated me taking care of her - but needs to do some soup searching and so will be deleting her Tinder profile (that’s why I will see her disappear from my contacts list). I appreciate that, and wish her the best. She points out that she meant to type soul searching, not soup searching. I understand. 

Part 14: The Lessons

I take the time I have to look back at the warning signs, see if there’s any lesson I can take from it. There were definitely some yellow flags I need to be aware of. It’s good to stay aware of what might go wrong, and how it might go wrong.

But you know what? If you never have regrets, you’re not taking enough risks. It was exhausting, and ended the wrong way - but the evening was certainly memorable, and certainly entertaining in its own screwed up kind of way.

I came out here to meet new, interesting people. On Saturday, I met an order of magnitude more people than I was prepared for, and none of them were actually obnoxious, or bad people, or in any way unfriendly or unwelcoming. 

I’m grateful to the bouncer for calling it a night before Kylie did something really dangerous, and to the barman for playing along like a good sport. I’m grateful to the randoms at the bar for getting into the spirit of things and letting the forces of nature that were Kylie, Charlotte and Pixie do their thing. I’m grateful to Charlotte and Pixie for being a lot of fun throughout the evening, and legitimately caring about their friendship (I’m generously saying that their decision to have Kylie stay at mine was based on good judgment of character, knowing they can trust me and maybe slightly impaired perception).

Mainly, I’m grateful to Kylie for opening the door on what was certainly the most interesting story I’ve encountered to date, and inviting me in.

It’s going to be a while before I’m up to something like that again, though.